The tradition of summer “ghost hours,” or getting paid for not working, is something the New Albany-Floyd County Consolidated School Corp. Board of Trustees voted to stop beginning next summer.

However, there’s debate whether they can make any changes this late in the season.

The issue came up at the school board meeting Tuesday night during the consent agenda portion.

Lee Ann Wiseheart, board member, said the issue was about closing school buildings at 4 p.m. during July and letting employees go home, though paying them through 4:30 p.m. She said the tradition — that dates back before Superintendent Dennis Brooks came to the corporation — is “fiscally irresponsible.”

She said at a time when the corporation is cutting programs and teachers, the board needs to put an end to this.

Neal Smith, board president who called the practice “ghost hours,” said there is no difference in the amount the corporation will be paying out if the people stay and work that half an hour.

Brad Snyder, deputy superintendent, said the tradition started before his time.

“I think once upon a time workloads were slower in the summers and air conditioning was not in all buildings,” he said.

Brooks said he brought it to the board so that the members could make the tradition official, if they wanted.

“To me, it felt like if you want to do that, you should approve it and have it in the minutes,” he said.

Rebecca Gardenour, board vice president, said now is the time to make some changes.

“Just because this has been done for a long time doesn’t mean it has to continue,” she said.

Though when Jim Zoeller asked about making that same change for this summer, Gardenour said she wasn’t so sure. She said she wouldn’t feel comfortable making a change on something that they had already voted on and passed until she talks to an attorney to make sure it’s allowed.

In a 5-1-1 vote, with Roger Whaley abstaining and Don Sakel voting no, the board passed a motion to approve a payroll schedule and employee calendar, cutting out the part on leaving at 4 p.m., thus eliminating the practice effective with the 2009-2010 school year.

Board members said they plan to discuss what they will do for this July soon.

FUTURE OF P.E.

At a recent school board meeting, many parents spoke out about the changes with physical education class offerings at the middle school level.

Teresa Perkins, assistant to the superintendent for curriculum and instruction, addressed the board on that issue Tuesday night.

“As we were looking at expenditure reductions ... the only way to save money was to eliminate staff,” she said.

That change, or reduction in force, eliminated a nine-week course of P.E. in the sixth grade.

Perkins said at one point, NA-FC offered more P.E. classes than required by the state. Those requirements have since turned into a recommendation of having 10,800 minutes of the class total during a student’s three years in middle school.

She said at Hazelwood and Scribner middle schools, students will take a semester of P.E. in seventh and eighth grades. She said that adds up to exactly 10,800. At Highland Hills Middle School, those not in a performing music class — orchestra, band or handbells — will end up with 11,250 minutes of P.E. over their three years, due to taking a health/wellness class, which includes physical activity, instead. Those in orchestra, band or handbells would have less, adding up to 9,000 by taking P.E. in their seventh and eighth grade years, according to Perkins.

In addition to the above, Scribner will provide a 50-minute activity time each week for all sixth-graders, Perkins said. She said Hazelwood officials are in discussions to develop a similar program for their sixth-graders.

PREPARING FOR SNOW

The school board approved a change to the 2009-10 school calendar to include three more snow days.

The previously approved calendar included two built-in snow days. However, State Superintendent Tony Bennett said earlier this year that schools will no longer be granted waivers for missed school days due to weather.

So, the NA-FC board extended the calendar to include the three snow make-up days if needed: May 28, June 1 and 2. Graduation is moved to June 5 for New Albany High School and June 6 for Floyd Central High School for next school year.



SO YOU KNOW

• There will be a community reception open to the public to say goodbye to Dennis Brooks, superintendent at New Albany-Floyd County Consolidated School Corp., who is leaving his post on June 30.

The reception will be from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., June 11, at the Education Support Center, located at 2801 Grant Line Road, in New Albany.